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How to respond to the new surge of mobile searching
Google has recently stated that by the end of the year, the amount of searches made on mobile devices will exceed those made on desktop computers. (Fishkin). With this knowledge some business may be eager to try and enhance their mobile experience or be fearful if they have none at all. Before making any drastic changes these businesses should know that even though mobile searches are greatly increasing it does not mean the end of desktop searching.
One of the reasons that mobile searches are suddenly becoming much more popular is because new up and coming areas of the world are starting out mobile. All of these new users are coming into the market and instead of starting with desktops like many other areas did, they are immediately going to mobile devices. Another large group going straight to mobile devices are the younger generations. The great rise in mobile searches is coming from emerging groups and is not taking away from those who use desktop searching. If a businesses target audience is not in any these groups then they should not worry too much about this news from Google. However if a business does wish to improve its mobile SEO, MOZ.com has a few tips to help them.
“You want visitors who come via these channels, who come via mobile search, in particular, to want to come back later, and that means providing an experience, providing a brand experience, providing a message that’s really clear about what your company, product, information can offer them and why they should return in the future, why they should like you and trust you, why you’re a good site for them to check out in the future when they might have more of those transactional things, because chances are they’re not going to do them on that first mobile experience.” (Fishkin).
When a user first visits a mobile site they don’t actually make any purchases or do anything too in-depth. They get a feel for the site and its features and if they like what they experience they will return and go deeper. A mobile site that is fast, responsive, and provides a pleasant experience for the user, will give it a higher rating with Google. A common mistake that sites make is forcing users to download apps or use overlays to advertise. Both of these things can be extremely obnoxious to viewers and will negatively impact their experience. The best thing a site can do for its SEO is make sure it provides its viewers with the best experience possible.
